ELIZABETHTON – A couple of hundred Carter County teens will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity Saturday to experience what it is like to spend time in a real jail.
Sheriff Chris Mathes is taking advantage of the last few days the jail will remain vacant in order to provide a lock-in for youth from seventh though 12th grade. The lock-in will take place from 6 p.m. to midnight.
The lock-in will also be one of the last training exercises for the new jail staff, giving them experience in operating and testing the jail with a large number of people in the facility. It is hoped any vulnerable areas will be discovered Saturday and corrected before a large number of prisoners is brought into the jail.
The sheriff’s department said lock-ins are not a new concept, but giving teenagers a chance to spend the evening inside a new, unoccupied jail is likely to be a once- in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“There is simply not many positives which can be said about building a new jail, but in this case, we want to take the negative and make it a positive by helping our teens make good decisions,” Mathes said.
The sheriff said as many seventh through 12th graders who want to attend the event is the number he wants to reach with the educational and fun event.
He said teenagers are faced with many difficult decisions in which making the wrong choice could forever change their lives. He said that by seeing the jail from the inside in such an event as a jail lock-in will, hopefully, leave a lasting impact and leave them with the determination that they never want to spend a day in jail.
On the schedule for the 6-hour lock-in will include guided tours of the new jail for the teens. Sheriff’s deputies, corrections officers and other leaders will speak and discuss the reality of life inside a jail and consequences. The corrections staff will serve meals and test doors and other equipment while making security and safety checks.
For more information, call 542-1846.